Law enforcement authorities across Europe, supported by Europol and Eurojust, have taken down one of the largest illegal streaming networks operating within and outside the EU.
The investigation targeted 102 suspects, 11 of whom were arrested, for distributing material from streaming services online illegally, including movies and series. They also pirated more than 2 500 television channels such as sports broadcasters, making them available to over 22 million users worldwide without the consent of the copyright holders.
Results of the operation include:
- 102 suspects identified
- 11 people arrested
- Over 112 house searches conducted
- At least 29 servers seized
- 100 domains taken down
- 270 IPTV equipment/devices seized
- Over 560 resellers identified
- Various drugs and weapons seized
- Around EUR 1.6 million in cryptocurrency and EUR 40,000 in cash seized
This operation probably cost ten times whatever the streaming/tv companies said they lost.